Batman & Robin Book 1
by Zaraizabell
Summary: This is kind of Robin's origin story. It switches between his point of view, Batman's, and R'as al Ghoul. This is only book one of a series I'm attempting to write.


Robin Mark 4 Book 1

I woke up after a night of tossing and turning. It happened often enough. My mom would have comforted me if I had called her to my room hours before. I hadn't. It was just preshow jitters. Apparently half of Gotham was showing up tonight.

I was nervous because I was expected to perform a move I had only once successfully completed in practice. I also had to do it all without a net. It was going to be my final move distracting the audience as some of the stage crew removed the net for my parents' performance. My hardest move and I had to do it without a mistake.

I took a deep breath and slipped a sweat shirt and jeans on. I went outside and climbed up on the trailer roof. I watched as the sun rose. I had always liked sunrise, and it calmed me down a bit.

I heard the sound of my dad's alarm going off. That put the time at five in the morning. I yawned. My sleep schedule was always thrown in the summer. We usually only recently got back from a foreign country. It took me a day or two to get used to speaking English again.

Germany had been the last country we had stayed in. Half the sentences I was forming in my head were in German. It was a great language to yell angrily, but not a great one to try to switch back to English. They had the same base language, so they had a lot of common words. It would have been easier to switch from Cantonese, a less common dialect of Chinese, to English just because of the great distance between the languages.

Mom told me to do things in Cantonese in every country except China. It made it so that I could pick her voice out of a crowd, and other kids didn't run to her when she yelled for me to come.

I focused on forming full sentences in English. I would have to talk to a variety of reporters before and after the show tonight. They would expect me to speak in English.

I also had a Social Services test the next day. They expected me to fill out all of my answers in English. If I failed to, then they would make me go to public school and possibly remove me from my parents.

I heard my mom open the door to the outside and ask, "My Robin, leih hai bendo ah?" She was basically asking where I was.

I replied, "I'm herauf hier Mutter."

She turned to look on top of the trailer and nimbly climbed to join me on my perch. She said, "I think you mean 'I'm up here mom.' We're in the states once more."

I pointed out defensively, "You just spoke Cantonese."

She said, "That is the exception, not the rule."

I sighed and said carefully, "I'll try to speak English, but Duich is easier right now."

Mom said, "You mean German is easier. The press will be all over us tonight with what happened on our tour abroad. We have to seem as normal as possible."

I said, "Sometimes it's hard to perform all the time. I wish I could just relax the show for once."

Mom said, "That's what you're supposed to do during your alone time instead of learning how to hack in computer cafes around the world. Don't forget, after tonight's show, your dad and I are taking you out to eat. Then you have that huge test tomorrow morning."

I smiled and said, "That should be fun."

Mom said, "Come on, your dad and I will meet you in the big top. We have some early morning practice. Try to get down that flip you and your father have been working on. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

I nodded and followed her off of our roof.

Dad came out, took mom's hand, and led her to the big top. I went back into the trailer to change into my costume.

It took me a minute to find all of the separate bits of my costume. It was all white, except for a bright red bird on the chest. The bird's wings stretched from one of my shoulders to the other.

I exited the trailer and headed straight for the big top. I paused a moment outside of the entrance flap. I was pretty sure I could hear voices coming from the direction of the animal cages. I silently moved towards them.

I managed to hear Mr. Hayley, the owner and ring leader of the circus, say, "I won't pay for protection from the mob. The circus will only be in town for a week or so. After that, we'll move onto the next town and the next crazy mob boss will think he can extort us to."

A deeper voice said, "I wouldn't cross Boss Zucco. You'll see tonight after the show what he does to people who don't cooperate."

I ran away after that. Our problem during our international travels that year had been the number of organizations that had tried to get us to take something between borders. We had of course reported every incident to Interpol, but in the states we didn't have friends in high places.

Gotham was notorious for two things, corruption and Batman. We were much more likely to see the corruption side. I pushed the thoughts from my head as I went back to the big top. I had to many other things to worry about without some guy trying to get us to pay protection money.

I took a deep breath before walking into the dressing room and then the main part of the big top. My parents were already swinging from the trapezes. The net was up, as it usually was during practice.

I watched my mom and dad flip easily between trapezes. It was obvious to me that they were still warming up. They were fearless as usual. I could never actually match their lack of fear, though I put on a good show.

There was always that little nudge of fear that kicked in before I did any of my more dangerous stunts. I tried to use that fear as best I could to complete those more difficult stunts, but I was worried that tonight's stunt would make me freeze. It was as dangerous or more than doing the stunt itself, but it might happen.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and climbed the ladder.

Mom fell easily into the net. She was still smiling brightly as she did.

I took another deep breath and caught the trapeze mom had sent my way before she dropped.

I built up momentum and started the maneuver that would lead into the quadruple summersault flip. I was breathing hard. I felt the moment when my speed and release were right and let go. I felt the blurb of fear attempt to seize control, but I fought it back and neatly turned four times in the air before grabbing the first bar. It took a very fast move to make sure I didn't run into the ladder.

I could hear my mom clapping below me. I glanced down and noticed they had removed the net while I hadn't been paying attention. I slowed myself a bit and leaped back onto the platform before descending the ladder.

Dad asked, "Did you even notice the net wasn't there?"

I replied, "Nine Vader, I mean, no dad."

Dad said, "Get that English ironed out. We have a big night tonight. I'd really prefer not to have to translate for you."

Mom said, "We can worry about that later. Right now, I'm starving." She led the way out of the tent. I started trying to list every American breakfast food I could.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched the latest tape of the boy practicing. He was one, of few future initiates, that was showing real promise already.

His parents were somewhat reluctant to stick to our bargain, but they would come around. Even if they didn't, we had dealt with uncooperative parents before.

Talia remarked, "He seems to be quite talented. Bruce asked me to go to the circus with him. He's still unaware of my connection to you."

I nodded and said, "Good, be sure to keep it that way for as long as possible. Try to make sure the Grayson boy doesn't get hurt. I have a lot riding on him. He's the top of a class he doesn't even know he's a part of."

Talia said, "I'll keep an eye on him. He seems to be able to take care of himself though."

I shook my head and said, "There is fear in him. It will take a lot of work for me to get rid of it when we do bring him in. He'll work twice as hard as the others though."

Talia said, "I don't see it. I've never been as good at seeing a person's potential though."

I smiled and said, "I've had millennia of practice."

Talia said, "By the way father, Mr. Hayley thought you should know that he was threatened today by one of Boss Zucco's men. He doesn't think anything will come of it during the performance tonight, but you told me to tell you about any threats."

I frowned for a moment. Boss Zucco was one of Gotham's biggest mob bosses. If he did something to mess up my plans, then he would find one of my assassins' blades at his throat. In fact, he would find one at his throat tonight for even thinking such a thing.

I said, "I'll have one of the League of Shadows members rectify the situation."

Talia bowed and left.

I turned back and watched the footage again. I paused it at the slight moment of hesitation he had had immediately after releasing the bar. It was the only time during the act that the fake smile slipped to reveal his fear.

The boy would have a lot to learn if he was going to be a member of the League, but he knew more than the other potential initiates. He would work well as someone to watch Bruce Wayne. Bruce didn't normally underestimate people, but anyone would think a boy with that much fear in his eyes couldn't do much. I'd just have to teach the boy to understand that showing fear isn't always a bad thing.

Chapter 2

I was smiling brightly as I walked up to the door of Talia's house. It wasn't anywhere close to as large as Wayne Mansion, but no house in Gotham was. I walked up to the door and rung the bell. It rang loud enough that I could hear the six chimes from the outside.

I glanced back at my car, glad that I had decided to drive myself. It would seem odd to show up at the circus in a limo.

I heard the door open behind me and forced myself to slowly turn. I usually would have whorled around prepared to fend off an attack.

To say she was stunning would be the understatement of the century. Talia was standing there in a dark green sundress, her black hair draped gracefully over her shoulders.

I offered her my elbow. She took it, leaned in, and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss, but it bared a sense of desire of things to come.

I said, "We'd better get going. We don't want to be late."

Talia smiled and said, "Yes, the show is supposed to be great tonight."

I nodded and led her to my car and opened the passenger door for her. She slid gracefully in. I went swiftly around the car and got in the other side. I drove fast to the circus. It was the typical millionaire move to ignore traffic laws.

It didn't take long to get to the fair grounds. I could see the reporters waiting to swarm the moment I stepped into their mists. I got out of the car before I let out a sigh. I easily hid my annoyance before opening the door for Talia.

She took my elbow once more as I led her towards the big top. She murmured quietly in my ear, "I always wish when I'm in the middle of a group of reporters that I could give them something to write about."

I waited for them to swarm us then replied equally quietly, "Seems like a good enough idea." Then I leaned down the inch that separated us and kissed her.

She was surprised at first, but then she got into it. I could hear the cameras flashing. The reporters stopped asking questions finally and just took as many photos as they could.

I pulled away and muttered, "You do have good ideas."

Talia replied, "I think that was your idea."

We smiled at each other and continued to the big top without answering any of the new barrage of questions.

I smiled and the bright flash almost made me blink. I easily kept pace with my mom as we made our way though the aisle the reporters had formed. One of them asked me, "What is it like being a performer at only eight?"

I stopped long enough to reply, "It's awesome. You really feel like your flying when your on a trapeze." Then I swiftly caught up with my mom. I went over what I had said to make sure I hadn't slipped into German. I had had mixed success with speaking in English when answering reporters' questions. Mom had had to come to my rescue twice when I had answered them in German.

We finally made it to the performer's entrance to the big top and went in. I let out a sigh of relief. I really didn't like having my photo taken. It was somewhat odd for someone in the spot light as much as I was, but I would have rather made my way to the big top unnoticed.

I waited impatiently as the different acts went through one by one. Once you had seen the whole show in half of the countries in Europe it got kind of boring. Finally, about half way though the show, it was our turn.

My parents went out first as usual. Mom started the beginning portion of the act. The moves where just setting up something for the rest of the performance to surpass. She easily got back on to the platform at the end and I climbed up and traded places with her. My dad easily caught me for each of the beginning moves. He signaled with a low whistle that it was time for the quadruple somersault.

I licked my lips nervously and shoved a smile onto my face. I hoped it looked real enough from below. I started swing, careful to avoid hitting the ladder or the board we jumped off of. I waited for the right moment, and released. I soared up and turned my body four times. Dad caught my hands and we swung hard for a moment. Once we lost momentum, I flipped to the other trapeze bar then jumped onto the board.

I let out a pent out breath of relief to be on something solid and easily climbed down the ladder as my mother climbed it once more.

I watched my parents fling themselves from one trapeze to the other with a smile. I recognized the moment for the finale, and climbed back up. Dad had had the idea for it over lunch. I just had to hope it worked.

My mom flipped twice through the air before my dad caught her hands. That was the moment I heard the loud snap. I couldn't tare my eyes from them. My mom seemed to say, "My Robin," before she hit the ground. I slid more then climbed down the ladder. I hit the ground hard, but not as hard as they had. I ran to my mother's body. I didn't know what to do. I found myself kneeling in a pool of their blood crying.

My first reaction to watching those to acrobats fall was shock. Then anger as I realized that someone had ripped the young boy's parents from him in front of his eyes as had happened to me all those years ago.

I forced myself to calm down and look sad for Talia's sake. It wouldn't do for her to see outrage in my eyes when something terrible had just happened. She turned and started crying into my shoulder. That was what happened when you saw someone's life get taken away.

I frowned and said, "What, you let his parents get killed! If I didn't know how to correct this situation, then I would put your head on a stick to warn others." I took a deep breath and said, "Go make sure the boy gets sent somewhere where I can get to him within the month."

The League of Shadows member bowed and fluidly sank into the shadows at the edges of the room. I still watched him leave though. I prided myself in being able to see any of my assassins leave or enter a room with any light.

It would be harder to convert the boy to my cause now. If he was as smart as he seemed, then he would blame Zucco and want revenge. I would have to be the facilitator of the revenge if I wanted to control him.

I would be able to if I could train him for only a day. It wasn't hard to program someone to do your biding. Especially when you knew exactly what they wanted more then anything or what they feared more than anything.

That was the problem I was having with Bruce Wayne. Talia had never managed to watch him after he said goodnight. She had tried tailing him many times, but he always seem to vanish in the various allies.

He was Talia's personal project though, so it would be her job to bring him in. If she was not up to the task, then I would have to do it myself. If I got involved, then there was no doubt that he would become my operative. I just had to find out what made him tick.

Chapter 3

I felt someone gently pull me away from my parents. There was nothing that could be done for them. They had died on impact. I wanted more then anything for my dad to sit up, laugh, and say, "It was just a joke Rick. No need to get emotional."

I could feel the sobs racking through my body. I could feel the tears rolling down my face. I was pretty sure I was yelling something, but I couldn't really hear anything. I might have just been yelling. I closed my mouth and sobbed into someone's shoulder. The person lifted me up, ignoring the blood they were most likely getting all of their clothes, and carried me out of the tent.

They put me in the back of a car. It was then I figured out whoever it was was a police officer of some sort. I just curled up into a ball in the back seat and cried. Eventually, I ran dry. Dry sobs hurt enough to break through the walls of sadness.

I realized I had somehow gotten into the police station, and I had a tan trench coat wrapped around me. Around my lower legs, it was a bit bloody. I made myself not think about how it had gotten to be that way and noticed some clothes sitting on a coffee table in front of me. I picked them up and made sure I was alone before changing into them. I folded my costume, knowing I would never wear it again.

I sat back down on the couch looking at my surroundings. The room was obviously a well used office. There were papers and folders scattered across an otherwise orderly desk. The chair behind the desk looked comfortable enough. The two chairs in front of it, on the other hand, seemed to have been designed to make who ever dared to sit in them uncomfortable. The light above the desk was a bit dim, as if to make whoever walked into the office squint to see who was inside. I noticed the glass with the blinds drawn and realized the dimmed light would make the space outside easier to see into and harder to see out of.

I was looking at the window on the other side, I could have sworn I saw something black flash past it. I looked more carefully, and realized that the blinds themselves had caused it. I leaned back against the couch and curled up once more. I couldn't get the image of my mother falling out of my head. I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks once more as I cried myself to sleep.

I shook my head. The boy had almost managed to see me after all that. He was more resilient then I had been at that age. It had been more then a week before I had managed to pull myself together enough to have a conscious thought. Though, that conscious thought had influenced every decision I had made since.

I still kept an eye on the boy. I would ask Gordon for the file the next day. After that is, I did some investigating of my own. The ropes had seemed perfectly sound all through the show.

I watched as the boy's body once again shook with the sorrow and pain he wouldn't be able to look past for months or years to come.

I barely took a second glance at the sniveling idiot before me.

Talia said, "I managed to bring in the man that sabotaged the ropes father."

I said, "Good, put him in the dungeons. I have a special purpose in mind for him."

Talia bowed and pushed the man towards a descending stare case to my right. The man started crying. I wondered how he had ever managed to join the mob. I guess one hour with my daughter was enough to turn most men into crying babies.

I sensed more then heard the assassin approaching me. They tried to prove themselves every once in a while by sneaking up on me when I was distracted.

I said, "Not right now, I'm busy."

The assassin's head dropped as she realized she had been seen, and she attempted to melt away to make up for it. She wasn't half bad, but it was obvious she was still in training. She was years older then the boy though. I could tell that he would learn to that amount of skill within the first six months if I could get my hands on him.

I felt my shoulder getting gently shaken, and for the moment before I opened my eyes, I managed to make myself believe it had all been a nightmare. Then I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar woman, and the same office as before. It was enough to send tears streaming down from my blood shot eyes.

She said, "Don't worry Richard, everything is going to be okay."

I answered automatically, "Nine**, **wird es nicht okay sein."

She had a look of confusion, but I didn't bother translating for her. She could figure it out for herself. She asked, "What language was that?"

A man that I hadn't noticed sitting at the chair behind the desk said, "I'm pretty sure it was German. The important thing is he doesn't think it will be okay."

The woman said, "I didn't know he spoke German. I would have brought a translator with me."

The man said, "I read his file, you would have had to bring in at least six to cover all the languages that this kid speaks."

I wondered if the guy was the same man that had brought me in the night before, but I couldn't get a clear look at him through the tears.

The woman asked, "Richard, can you understand me?"

I nodded.

She asked, "Do you speak English?"

I nodded again. The tears were falling more slowly now that we had changed subject matter.

She said, "My name is Helena Troy, I used to be a member of the League of Shadows, but you don't know that yet. I'm going to be your case agent. I understand you were supposed to take a test today to make sure you knew everything a boy your age should. That's being postponed until you feel up to it."

I said in unaccented English, "I'd rather do it now."

The guy behind the desk raised an eyebrow at me. He seemed to understand every word I had said in German. I was guessing there was a good reason he was hiding it from Helena Troy.

Helena Troy said, "Good, you do speak English. I have the papers in my brief case, if you're sure you want to take it now what with every."

I cut her off, "I'm sure."

Helena Troy seemed uncertain. She glanced at the guy behind the desk, and he made a go right ahead sort of gesture.

She went over to a black brief case leaning against the couch, sat down, and opened it on her lap. It took her a minute's rifling to find the papers she was looking for. She said, "You're nine right."

I nodded.

She passed me a think packet of papers and a pencil.

I pulled the coffee table towards me and easily started answering questions.

The tutor the circus had taught year round. He had covered as much material as he could as quickly as we could absorb it. He had struggled to teach us in languages we all understood well, so he had taught us the language of every country we went to on an average international tour. That put most of the kids at five. I learned Cantonese just because my mother spoke it around the home all the time.

A tear or two slipped out, but I easily made sure they didn't touch the paper. I passed the packet back to Helena only about thirty minutes after she gave it to me. She raised both eyebrows apparently stunned I had finished it so quickly.

The man behind the desk got up and left with, "I better make sure Gotham hasn't been exploding."

I saw the plaque on the open door read, "Lieutenant Turnpike". I guess I knew the guy's name now.

Helena Troy said, "I think my supervisor is going to want you to take some more tests soon. An IQ test in particular."

I guessed that people wanting me to take an IQ test was no longer something I had to live in fear of. The only kids that had ever been forced to go to public schools in the circus had only had to do so after taking an IQ test. No one was sure whether they had scored too badly or too well.

The security around the big top was laughable at best. They had already removed the bodies, but the crime scene it self needed some protection. I easily slipped into the unguarded back flap. I was guessing the police guards on duty were either paid off, or they hadn't seen the flap.

I moved straight over to the ropes. It took me seconds to realize what had happened. Someone had put small vials of acid on the ropes. The boy's final trick must have been what broke them. Then he got off and the acid did it's work.

The question was, why did they want the boy to live through the experience. If I could figure that out, then I would crack this case wide open.

I heard the sound of steps approaching from the same flap I had easily slipped in. I took a small sample of the acid and sank into the shadows. I put the sample in a small test tube I had on hand.

Whoever had planned on coming into the tent seemed to change directions. I slipped out the back flap and went back to patrolling Gotham's streets. I couldn't get this new case off of my mind. I forced myself to focus on taking down a group of gangsters that had been attempting to rob a woman. I climbed onto the nearest roof top when I finished and easily moved on. I had a feeling that this case would take a long time to solve.

I felt that same gentle shaking. I knew now that it wasn't my mom. It would never be my mom again. I sat up. They had kept me in the Lieutenant Turnpike's office for an hour while Helena Troy had made some calls. Eventually she had led me to her car. I hadn't broken into sobs again since I took that test, but now I didn't really feel like doing anything. I had fallen asleep during the car ride, though it must have been rather short.

I looked at the large brick building that we were parked in front of. It looked kind of menacing with its barred windows and barbed wire fencing.

Helena Troy, seeing I was awake, said, "Welcome to Gotham Home for Troubled Boys."

I frowned. I was guessing I wasn't the kind of troubled that most of the boys in there would be.

"He got sent where!" I demanded.

The assassin repeated calmly, "He's in the Gotham Home for Troubled Boys. Apparently Zucco has control of the place and got him sent there. He wants to use the boy to pull off some petty street crime."

I shook my head. Zucco was intending on wasting the boy's natural talent on street crime. I would have to make sure it didn't work of course, but it would delay my plans immensely. I said, "Make sure the boy doesn't get recruited into one of the groups."

The assassin bowed and sank neatly into the shadows. He was better than most, but I still saw him leave. I sighed wishing that one of my assassins would prove better than the rest. The problem was that none of them truly loved the shadows the way the masters of hidden movement that had taught me had.

I slid easily onto the roof undetected by Commissioner Gordon. He had brought a friend with him tonight. Lieutenant Turnpike was the name on his badge. I stepped into the light giving the appearance that I had materialized out of the shadows. Neither man jumped, but I hadn't expected them to.

Commissioner Gordon said, "Batman, you probably heard about the acrobats that were killed. Turnpike has some information that you may find interesting."

Turnpike took this as his cue saying, "The ropes were destroyed with an acid that was recently liberated from Gotham's Star Labs. We suspected that the robbery was committed by Boss Zucco, but we couldn't find enough evidence to prove it one way or the other. The boy, whose parents were killed, recently got sent to Gotham Home for Troubled Boys despite the fact that he has no criminal record in any country. We've long suspected that Zucco has strings there."

I said in a gruff voice that I always used when I costume, "I'll find out what I can."

Commissioner Gordon said, "Be careful interacting with the boy. He's been through a lot." He glanced towards Turnpike. Turnpike was looking at him, so I took the opportunity to sink back into the shadows.

Commissioner Gordon looked at where I had been and said, "I hate it when he does that."

Turnpike said, "I take it he does it at every meeting you have with him."

Commissioner Gordon said, "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure he does it just to bug me. Anyway, I'm going to start calling around to see if someone will take in young Richard Grayson. He needs a better home."

I heard Turnpike suggest as I was leaving the roof, "How about Bruce Wayne. He certainly has the connections to get Richard out of that place. He finances half of the orphanages in Gotham. Social Services would write his name in lights if they could."

I thought about it myself. I did have the connections to get him out, but with so little time on my hands I wouldn't be able to look after a child. Then again, I knew what he was going through better than anyone else. I'd have to talk to Alfred about it.

Chapter 4

I heard the loud annoying beeping of my required alarm clock. I wished that I could throw the thing out the window, but it was bolted to the desk it sat on. For that matter, it wouldn't fit through the iron bars.

I forced myself to get out of bed and got dressed. I yawned widely. I heard the loud click of my door getting unlocked. I had been told that breakfast was served just after this, so I exited my small room. A ton of other boys were making their way down the long hall filled with doors to rooms identical to mine.

I followed the crowd. They all went into a large disgustingly dirty communal mess hall. I was surprised they hadn't been shut down long before. I joined the growing line of boys. We were being served by tired looking men in dirty looking aprons holding disgusting ladles. They heaped a pile of mush on each boy's plate. I took my pile of mush and sat down.

I started picking at it attempting to identify its origins. A boy moved to sit down with me, but another grabbed his arm and made him sit somewhere else. Apparently new comers were people to avoid.

A tall boy came up behind me and said, "The director wants to speak to you."

I asked, "Where do I need to go?"

The boy said, "Follow me." He led me through a series of hallways which I used as a chance to expand the mental map I was attempting to form of the place. My dad had always encouraged me to be able to draw a map of whatever place I was.

The boy stopped halfway through a hallway and opened the door for me. I went in. It was a very intimidating space. For one thing, unlike the rest of the building, this room was completely clean. It was also lit by a very bright light angled to shine in the eyes of a person entering. It made me feel defensive as soon as I went in.

A loud voice behind the light asked, "Are you Richard Grayson?"

I replied, "Rick sir."

The voice asked, "Do you know why you're here?"

I replied plainly, "No."

The voice said, "You are here because you are suspected of committing several petty crimes in the area over the last few months."

I said, "I think you have the wrong file. I've been in Europe since last September." I took another step forward allowing me to see past the light and into the rest of the room.

The man questioning me was sitting behind a metal desk. It was covered in files. Now that I could actually see the room, it was a disorganized mess. It just stopped outside of the rectangle that you could see when that light shone in your eyes. The man was staring at his files. He lifted one of the papers off of the top of what appeared to be my file.

He said, "No, you've lived in Gotham all of your life and you're a pathological liar."

I said, "Um, I'm Richard Grayson, you may have seen me in the paper recently due to a tragedy that got me sent here."

The man said, "So you didn't attempt to steel diamonds from a store."

I said, "No."

The man said, "As usual, they gave me the wrong file. I'm sure I'll have this cleared up within a week. Follow Jon to morning exercises."

I walked out the door. The tall boy, Jon I guess, led me through another series of hallways to a large fenced in yard. The prison theme continued here with barb wire fencing.

An athletic looking man yelled, "New meat, start running." I assumed he was referring to me, so I started running. I had good endurance, since I had had to do so much work around the circus. It didn't take long for me to catch up to and surpass the slowest of the boys. Some of them tried to speed up and run with me, but they quickly slowed back down to a more reserved pace.

It was when I caught up to the next group that an actual race started. They really didn't want me to be faster than them. These boys may exercise every day, but their lives had never depended on catching a two foot long and inch wide bar with their arms, then flipping around and catching someone else whose life was then in your hands.

I surpassed them and they slowed back to their previous pace once more. I was gaining on the fastest boys. They noticed, and they were not happy about it. They sped up to match my pace, so that I remained behind them. I didn't want to stand out, so I kept at my same pace.

I shook my head. The boy seemed determined to remain in the shadows in his new temporary home. He was obviously holding himself back. I had seen the morning runs he occasionally went on with his father and mother. He was much faster than he was letting on.

Talia said, "We'll be able to get him out in two weeks."

I said, "Good, by that point he'll be desperate to get out of there."

Talia said, "The assassin you sent managed to get one of the boys to spread the word that he was being protected. He's shadowing the boy as much as he can."

I asked, "Is Zucco aware that I want him?"

Talia said, "No, we'll be going through more official channels to get to him. We have a couple of agents at low levels in Social Services. Their doing all they can, but apparently someone with better connections is showing interest in the boy."

I asked, "Who?"

Talia said, "Our agents couldn't find out, but they're trying."

I said, "Tell them to try to delay it as much as they can. We need this boy."

Talia bowed and left. She didn't attempt to disappear as the assassins would have. She considered herself to rank too high to have to prove herself to me.

I had been signing paper work for the last hour. Apparently to even have temporary charge of a child you had to sign your name at least twenty times. After that, to have the possibility of keeping the same child longer than that, you had to sign another five forms. If you wanted to give the child the option of breaking off the arrangement, then there was another forty forms to sign.

My hand was cramping to the point that I would have to throw a batarang left handed. I could do it, but it would have my usual accuracy. I still would be able to even discuss the arrangement with Richard Grayson for at least two days as they had to give me a thorough background check. Of course once they got to about four years ago there would be a blank spot for about ten years.

I finished signing the last of the forms and stood up to leave. The agent that had been telling me where to sign and answering my questions said, "Thank you. Most people would never go to this much trouble for one boy."

I just nodded and left the office. I made my way out side. I had come here anonymously. The reporters that usually stocked me couldn't have followed. I had learned how to slip a much better tale then a nosy reporter during those ten years.

I said somewhat stunned, "You lost him in broad daylight."

Talia said, "I think he may have learned more than we thought during his years abroad. I passed the tests just like all of the other assassins. I even did it anonymously to make sure I was as good as everyone else."

I said, "Talia, you just lost a multimillionaire in broad daylight. I'm going to put someone else on his case."

Talia said, "Please father, I won't lose him tonight. Just give me one more chance."

I said, "One Talia. That's all you get is one. If you fail again tonight, then I will put someone else on the case."

Talia bowed and left.

I could barely believe my own daughter had failed me so horribly. I would have to go to Gotham and track Bruce Wayne myself. It had been years since I had had to do my own field work, but I knew I could do it. I trained all of the best assassins myself. After she had graduated, I had even finished teaching Talia.

I was driving home. I stopped at a red light, since I didn't want to get pulled over. Some guys came towards my car. They were advancing slow enough that I thought the light would change before they got there. I was wrong. One of them opened my car door and pulled me out.

I asked indignantly, "What do you want?"

The thug holding me replied, "You're trying to adopt a kid. Stop trying. That kid belongs to the boss."

I said, "I won't stop trying to get a kid away from the organization that killed his parents." It was an intuitive leap, but it paid off.

One of the other guys asked, "How do you know about that?"

I didn't reply. The guy holding me tried to hit me with his other hand, but in the process he loosened the hand holding there. I ducked out of the way and his fist connected solidly with my car. I was pretty sure he broke at least two of his fingers.

The other two guys came at me with a hammer and a wrench. I got into my car and drove off before they could get to me. The light had turned green, so I hadn't even done anything illegal in the process.

I guess Boss Zucco had control of whatever place Richard Grayson was currently staying at. That meant I wasn't the only person attempting to gain an influence on his future. I'd have to keep a closer eye on him.

Talia said over the phone, "Father, I just watched some men attempt to attack Bruce Wayne. I was getting ready to step in anonymously when he escaped. It was made clear that he had some sort of martial arts training. I think that's how he's managed to slip past me so many times."

I asked, "Did you get a video of him?"

Talia said, "Yes father, I sent it there through some safe channels. It should arrive within the hour."

I said, "Good, this changes everything."

Chapter 5

I had decided by the end of the first day that I really hated the prison like building that confined me. The adults only goal was to make us tired enough to keep us from fighting. I had figured it out when immediately after running they made us do all of these other crazy games. They seemed to have the sole goal of confusing you and making you tired. None of the other boys completely understood the rules.

I didn't completely understand the rules until the first boy passed out. The boys reacted immediately. Two of them went over and picked him up and carried him inside. They were just as exhausted, and they almost passed out in the process of carrying him inside.

The rules where you played until someone passed out. Then you got to go inside and play some more until another kid passed out. Then you were sent to your room and somehow everyone except me managed to sleep until breakfast.

I was guessing that they were drugging the food or something. I was glad then that I hadn't eaten, though I was also starving. I lay down on my bed and attempted to force myself to sleep. It was very hard to make yourself sleep when you were absolutely starving and not at all tired.

I got down on the floor and started doing sit ups. I switched to pushups when my stomach muscles got too tired to continue. My arms almost collapsed beneath me. That was when I managed to get to my bed and sleep.

I woke up the next morning before the alarm. I could see the sun wasn't up yet, but there was no way for me to watch it rise. I hated west facing windows.

The alarm went off and I shut it off annoyed.

I heard the soft click and wondered what torture they would have for us to day to make us pass out. I really hated the place. They were abusing every one of the boys there and there was nothing I could do about it.

I walked out of the room tired and followed the other tired boys to breakfast. They ate readily enough. I was absolutely starving, but I didn't want the after effects that eating that stuff would give me. Then again, starving to death would have adverse as well. I wished there was a third option, but they locked the place up to tight. There was no way I could get another source of food or water in the three days or less it would take to die of dehydration.

It was a depressing thought. My dad had told me about it when we had spent a month in the more desert like part of the world. There had been a surprising large amount of Egyptians that had chosen to come to our circus. Dad had told me to always bring a canteen with me when I went out in case I got lost. It would help stay alive longer as long as I rationed it out.

I didn't have a canteen now. I just had three days and the constant presence of food and water that I couldn't trust. I had to torture myself to avoid another form of torture. I took my plate up early still full.

One of the people that served us lunch seemed to notice. He would probably tell whoever it was that drugged the food about it. It would probably get me attacked. That or they would wait me to succumb to my need to eat and drink. Thankfully, I was stronger than that.

My dad hadn't ever been the sanest parent in the world, but one of the things he had taught me was how to ignore discomfort. It had been for the purpose of performing with a sprained ankle. It didn't interfere with the healing process. I didn't use my ankle while performing. We had bound it and covered it, but without techniques to ignore pain, I couldn't have performed that week.

The problem was the process required me to do something I really hated doing. You basically had to focus entirely on one part of yourself and ignore everything else. When it was my ankle that got hurt I focused entirely on a conversation I had had with my mom a few days before. It hadn't really been enough to hold my attention under normal circumstances, but I had been forcing myself to translate it into every other language I could word for word.

Now I would have to find something to hold my attention for at most three days and for at least two.

I knew the memory that would do it, but it was no less painful then what I was going through right now. The problem was it was the only one recent enough and traumatic enough to distract me entirely from what was going on.

I sat back down at my table alone and put my hands on my temples. It was easy enough to go back to that painful night. I had relived the memory every time I had fallen asleep over the past three days. That didn't mean I wanted to relive it while I was awake. It was easy enough to follow the crowd outside while still reliving the most painful memory in my existence.

I couldn't help but notice the difference in this newest tape of the boy. He seemed sadder. He seemed completely incoherent, like he wasn't even there. I had seen the same look in his eye when he had sprained his ankle and performed anyway two years ago. It meant he was forcing himself to deal with extreme physical pain. I had had his father teach him the trick.

It was part of the training we gave all of our initiates. They all got hurt eventually. The boy had been coming along so swiftly I thought we could start his training a bit early.

I guess that was coming back to haunt me now. It was obvious that one of my most successful operatives was forcing himself to deal with pain. Since there wasn't a mark on him, I had to assume it was self-inflicted.

I sighed. I had to find out what this boy was doing to himself. If he died it would be years of time and resources down the drain.

I frowned. It was crazy. This boy was nothing like the daring performer I had seen nights before. He seemed completely unaware of his surroundings. It was like he was purposely zoning out. I had seen the same look on a man during my international travels.

In India, some people believed the way to spiritual enlightenment was through extreme physical pain. They had the same sort of look in their eye when they were inflicting this pain on themselves. When I asked them about it, they had told me they were reliving their most emotionally traumatic moment. It allowed them to deal more pain to themselves then their bodies would otherwise allow.

This boy was forcing himself to live through pain. I wanted to find out the reason why. He didn't seem like the type for suicide. Besides, he had had a much easier way to die a couple of nights ago.

I went to the dumpster and got a sample of the food to examine back at the cave. Starvation would most certainly cause the pain he was feeling. It was possible that it was something else, but I was going with my instincts on this one.

I lay down on my lumpy bed. It was one of the first sensations I had actually felt all day. They had actually fed most of the boys lunch today since no one had passed out. I had abstained from eating. It was getting harder though. I guessed that it would get much easier in the next couple of days.

Maybe they would get me to a hospital and figure out what was wrong with me before I died. Then I would get put on suicide watch, but at least I wouldn't be dead. I thought about that terrible memory again and it carried over into my dreams.

Chapter 6

Alfred said, "Master Bruce, its social services."

I said, "Thank you Alfred." I accepted the phone from him and said, "Hello."

The agent that had been helping me sign papers said, "You'll be allowed to see Richard Grayson today at lunch. You will be expected to pay, though I don't imagine that will be a problem."

I said, "Thank you very much. Where will I meet him?"

The agent replied, "You can pick him up at Gotham Home for Troubled boys at eleven."

I said, "Thank you."

The agent said, "No, thank you Mr. Wayne." With that he hung up.

I said, "I'll meet with Richard for lunch today."

Alfred said, "That's very good sir. Do you think he'll take the deal?"

I said, "I have no idea, but I hope he will."

I said, "So all we know is that whoever is trying to adopt the boy is going to have lunch with him today and he's planning on leaving it up to the boy. That means that even if the boy says yes now he can choose to back out of it and live with someone else. We just have to make him a more attractive offer."

Talia came in then and said, "That might be a problem. I just tailed Bruce Wayne. He asked for his lunch appointment to be postponed. I think he's the one that has been taking interest in the boy."

I said, "That is going to be a problem. We no longer know what Wayne is capable of. Try to stay on him while they eat lunch and gage the boy's reactions."

Talia bowed and left.

I was surprised when Tim came to me that morning. It was enough to break me out of the sort of trance I had been in since I had woken up. I had lost track of how many times I had replayed the memory in my mind of my parents falling. It still brought on great pain. I had been forcing myself not to cry the first day, but now I felt desensitized.

Tim led me straight to the same office. I went in and immediately stepped passed the bright light.

The guy behind the desk said, "Someone has been showing interest in adopting you. He's taking you out for lunch today. You can meet him after exercising."

I said, "Thank you."

He asked, "Did you eat any breakfast?"

I said, "No sir, the food here looks disgusting."

He said, "I'm sure you'll get over that shortly after you return."

I recognized a dismissal when I heard one. I walked out and waited until I was out of Tim's sight before I pumped my fist at my side. I guess I wasn't going to have to continue starving myself. Even if the guy didn't like me I would probably be able to smuggle some food back with me. Maybe I could postpone my death until I managed to get out.

I went outside. My stomach still growled painfully, but the thought of good non-drugged food becoming available to me soon was enough to keep me going. I followed the other boys in side and practically ran to the front door. Tim was waiting for me there. He unlocked the door for me and opened it.

I said, "Thanks Tim."

He just nodded. He didn't seem like a talkative sort. I walked out the door and saw a car with dark tinted windows.

An easily recognizable man stepped out. I was shocked that he was the one taking an interest in adopting me. I wasn't positive it had really been my file that the man had been looking at when he had told me there was someone interested in adopting me.

That doubt was tossed aside when Bruce Wayne said, "You look different. I saw your show that night."

I said, "I had heard a rumor that you were there."

He said, "Come on, get in. I hear that place has some of the worse food."

I smiled and got in the door he opened for me. I was still sort of in shock that a millionaire was considering adopting me. I wasn't sure I wanted to be adopted though. I kind of felt like changing my name would be an insult to my parent's name. Who knew what Bruce Wayne wanted with me though?

Richard seemed nervous. His leg was shaking up and down constantly. I didn't want to say anything until we got to the restaurant. It seemed like the kind of thing that would sound better over food. I drove within all of the speeding laws. I didn't want to freak him out any more then he already was.

I pulled to a stop in front of the dinner I had decided to take him to. It was owned by a personal friend. One of few people, besides Alfred and me, that actually knew the truth.

He wouldn't tell Richard of course, but he also wouldn't treat me differently because I was Bruce Wayne. That was the main reason I had chosen the diner. The people that frequented it didn't treat me differently.

I got out and he opened his own door this time. That was good. He seemed kind of excited now. I guess that made sense, he might not have eaten in days.

I made it to the door to the diner slightly before him. I opened the door and held it open for him. He went inside swiftly. I went up to the counter and said, "Hey Bernie. I'll take my usual."

He asked, "And the kid?" I gestured for him to order.

Richard said, "I'll have the biggest cheeseburger you've got and a coke."

Bernie said, "Coming right up."

The kid smiled. He seemed happy at the very idea of getting to eat. The sample had come back from the lab. They were dosing those kids with sleep medicine. How Richard figured out was unknown to me, but he was a smart kid. He just needed someone to save his life when he couldn't. I was kind of surprised that he had the will power to starve himself.

Bernie brought our food quickly. I guess he could see the hungered look in Richard's eye as well as I could. It was kind of hard to miss.

I ate slowly, but Richard ate as fast as he could. He seemed anxious to cram every bite he could into his mouth. I saw him slip some fries into his pocket. He was smart about it though. He was using his other hand to take a drink while he slipped them swiftly into his pocket.

I guess he was making plans in case he didn't like my offer. He really was a smart kid. I just hoped he was smart enough to like my deal.

I was so glad to be able to eat again. I managed to put a hand full or two of French fries in my pocket just in case. Bruce kept his eyes on me. It was kind of freaking me out. He managed not to spill a drop on himself without ever looking away from me. I guess business dinners or something required him to do the same.

I had to say this guy Bernie made monstrous burgers. I had eaten some pretty huge ones in parts of Europe, but these were like full cows. I mean they were the size of big macs, but it made you feel like you were attempting to eat a cow. I was glad. I had gone basically three days without food.

When I had put the last couple of fries from my plate into my mouth Bruce said, "I'd like to make you an offer."

I looked at him patiently waiting to hear what he had to say.

He paused for a moment looking straight into my eyes. I looked back trying unsuccessfully to match his intensity. He really could make it appear like he was looking straight into your sole. I was glad I hadn't done anything bad recently, or I probably would have told him the truth right then and there. It was kind of unnerving to come to that realization.

I frowned. Having a bug in that building had been surprisingly hard. We had tried five times to get a bug under the table that morning alone. Bruce's secretary had held onto the information fiercely.

Thankfully, Bruce had been nice enough to scout the location before bringing the boy there.

Bugging the table had been difficult because of the nosy owner. It seemed that he knew Bruce was bringing someone special to his usual table, and hadn't let anyone else sit there all day. We had managed to bug the table next to it, but someone accidently destroyed the bug. We tried to bug the actual table again, but the owner was getting really suspicious, so we had to bring in a new operative.

Now we were apparently having technical difficulties. It was like Bruce Wayne was bothering to jam all wireless devices for his meeting with this boy. We had no idea why. Then again, when it came to Bruce, we really didn't know why he was doing anything these days.

Talia had tried following him, but that was fairly impossible to do when he didn't want to be found. He had almost managed to do it today, but we knew where he was going. Otherwise we would have lost him for sure. It wasn't even that he had driven evasively. He just knew how to drive so that he blended into the background. Even his fancy cars were left at home ninety percent of the time. Only when he needed to make a public appearance did he actually bother to take one his noticeable cars.

He seemed kind of shocked about what I was asking. I guess it was a little strange that I was suggesting he come live with me with no strings attached. It wasn't the sort of deal the man I had made Bruce Wayne out to be would offer anyone.

I just hoped the deal had sounded better to the boy then it had to me when I said it allowed. I probably wouldn't have accepted it when I was his age. Then again, I had had a slightly better deal from the onset. I had also gone into extreme depression for several weeks, which hadn't really been an option for Richard.

I was completely and totally in shock. Bruce Wayne had just asked me if I'd like to become his ward. I'd be allowed to keep my name and live with him if I wanted. I'd have the option to say no any time I wanted. There were no strings attached that I could find in my head.

On paper it might be different, but I had a feeling that Bruce was telling the truth. He seemed much more honest than the papers made him out to be. I had a feeling that he might make himself out that way for the papers.

I was going through it all in my head. I tried to find a way to put my emotions into words. Unfortunately, none of those thoughts were entirely English. Other languages were so much more expressive. I just didn't want to use any of them when I was trying to tell the man, basically offering me a chance to live, that I liked the deal he was offering.

I took a deep breath. I said simply, "Yes."

It was the easiest thing to say. It was easier then telling him he had just saved my life by offering me this deal. It was ten times easier then attempting to explain why I had had to starve myself at that dreadful place. I would probably have to go back to it while everything was finalized, but I had new hope.

Chapter 7

This deal was not turning out the way I had hoped. I was bored out of my mind. It had taken less than a day for me to explore Wayne Mansion.

It was expansive, but once you got passed the shock and awe you could see it for what it was, a huge empty house. It must have filled up quite nicely during parties.

I had a backpack in my room. It had been easy to keep it from Bruce and Alfred. Alfred was a nice guy. He was there for me, since Bruce had to work so much. I liked him a lot, but my plan for tonight would still take place.

It was mainly because the cops were giving up. I had to find out what was really happening. I knew that it would be easy for me to tell what had been used to sabotage the ropes. Dad had shown me the variety of ways the ropes could be sabotaged. He checked the ropes before every show and a few weeks before his death, while we were still in Germany he showed me all the ways ropes could be damaged. The weird thing was he had woken me up in the middle of the night to show me.

I guess lots of people stayed up to insane hours of the night. My door was across the hall from Bruce's and he came in at all hours of the night.

I knew he wouldn't be back until at least four in the morning. He never got back before then. He often got back after that.

I easily opened my window and climbed down a tree that happened to be right there. It was a great tree. I climbed into it every morning to watch the sunrise. I knew it better then I knew the trailer that used to be my home every summer. I easily climbed down without a scratch.

I grabbed my bike which I had left at the foot of the tree. I was glad I had had the foresight to do so. Wayne Mansion took up acres of land. It would take me two hours by bike to get to the edge of Gotham. Thankfully, it was that edge of Gotham that the fairground was located on.

I got to the grounds and easily slipped into the big top. It was unfortunate though mainly because there was someone already there.

He said, "I was hoping you'd come here someday soon. I was going to wait for you for two more days. I guess it's good for me you slipped away from whatever parents you have now tonight."

I cursed my own stupidity. Richard had slipped through his window. I had seen him only two days before watching the news. He had changed channels quickly when he heard me approach, but he had been watching the latest report about who killed his parents. The police were giving up hope of ever finding who did it.

I wasn't, but it would be impossible for him to know that. I headed for the circus. It was still in town for now, and I was guessing that was where he would head first.

I said, "Zucco says he's got him, but we can't know how long that will last. You need to get there now and pick him up. Otherwise who knows what friends Bruce Wayne has that can get him back. Even Commissioner Gordon will be able to take Zucco down."

Talia bowed and ran out. She could hear the slight urgency in my voice. It only appeared when I really needed something. Talia and all of my chief lieutenants knew that when I had it in my voice they better get me what I want when I want it.

I was a little nervous when the guy had just been saying he was waiting for me. Then he had two of his thugs restraining me, and it made my life more difficult. I didn't get really scared until he started punching my face. It kind of really hurt.

I was yelling out in Spanish. Then I slipped into German. I never cursed, but yelling out breakfast foods in foreign languages sure sounds like cursing to most people, and if an adult tells me to watch my tong, I would correctly translate the word for them.

It was a good strategy and it kept me out of trouble. It was also somewhat satisfying to see the confusion on people's faces when I started calling them toast in German. It wasn't nearly as satisfying when they hit you harder to try to get you to tell them what you had just called them.

I stilled called them German breakfast foods. It distracted me a bit from the pain I was feeling. They hadn't even bothered to leave the big top. It was still being watched by the police and I was yelling pretty loud, but they were corrupt, dead, deaf, or knocked out though they might be some combination of the four.

I called them the German word for bacon. The guy socked me in the gut. I retched, and he stepped back quickly. Let me just say I hate throwing up.

He stepped around the small mess I had created and punched me in the stomach again.

I really wanted to just run in there and beat all of those guys up, but I forced myself to be smart. I slunk through the shadows trying to find something to incriminate them that wouldn't make it Richard's word against theirs.

That was when they punched him in the gut. Twice. He was still recovering from his forced fast and they were making him throw up.

These guys had really picked the wrong kid to mess with. I guess they didn't expect a parent that let their newly rescued ward sneak out wouldn't care if he got beat up. Unfortunately for them, they were very, very wrong.

How long could it take for Talia to get the just of the situation? She was one of the best operatives I had. If she didn't report back within the hour, I would send a team after her.

I was wishing that I could be getting a beating from any of the bullies I had faced over the years rather than these guys. That was mainly because I had actually managed to fight back against those bullies with minimal injury.

I lashed out at the guy as he came in to punch me again. Being an acrobat, my arms were extremely strong. I managed to put my entire wait on them when I lashed out at the guy. I made a solid connection with his chest. I guess I wasn't cruel enough to potentially damage his internal organs, so I aimed carefully as I kicked him.

Rick was resilient. Even after they beat him up he fought back. I moved in. It was easy to take out the two me watching the backs of their allies. They didn't even see me coming. The other three pulled guns.

One of them said, "You can't stop us Batman. Our employer has a buyer for the kid. He's willing to pay more money than you can even imagine. I'm sure we can cut you in if you let us go."

I punched him in the face hard. I felt a crunch as his nose broke. It was kind of a disgusting sensation, but you got used to it after a while. I tried to avoid breaking people's bones when I could, but every once and a while you come across a villain that really needs it. That or one that almost literally asks for it. This guy was one of the second two. I heard the gun cock and started to move, but I knew I was too late.

Talia sent a text message. It read, "Found Rick". At least she had bothered to report something. I sighed knowing I'd have to wait at least twenty-four hours before I could send a team to her.

I saw the gun pointed at Batman's back. I knew I couldn't make him miss entirely, but I could make him miss the head he was aiming at. I saw Batman move to dive to my left. With the guy on my right, I might be able to do something. I dived towards him hoping to make him miss.

It worked, mostly. He hit Batman's unprotected left thigh, but it was better than me witnessing another death. I was already scarred for life. I didn't want to watch Gotham's greatest hero fall by the hand of a villain when I could stop it.

The guy broke my fall. He passed out, but I managed to get up uninjured. I saw there was still one more guy. I tried to remember the few things my dad had taught me about self-defense. If everyone was going to survive this I had to defeat this guy.

He said, "Give up now and I won't hurt you."

I said, "Not likely. You see, I really don't feel like getting sold right now. I kind of like my current housing. Besides, there have been enough deaths in my life without me agreeing to let you perpetrate another."

The guy said, "You should be glad your worth so much, or I would kill you just for that. Thankfully, our contract says nothing about damaged goods."

I was ready to fight him. I didn't take any of those fighting stances you see in movies. That would have given away too much about the kind of fighting I knew. I stood there keeping my muscles loose. Focusing on his body, so that when he moved I could react immediately.

He moved to kick me. I leaped to the side rolling as I did so I landed on my feet. He moved in to try to punch me. I kicked him where it hurts. He ducked over in pain and I hit him on the head. He passed out.

I ran over to Batman.

I had to force myself not to smile. Rick was good. He obviously had hardly any hand to hand combat training, but his instincts were good.

He ran over to me when he made the guy pass out. I could tell he was nervous.

My leg hurt really badly. I guess it made sense since I had gotten shot. It had missed the artery in my leg. It still hurt a lot. Alfred wouldn't let me work for a night or two. I would be secretly glad, but that didn't mean that I would let him know that.

Rick asked, "Are you okay?"

I nodded and made myself stand up. I stumbled and the boy easily stepped under my arm and helped me limp out of the back entrance to the big top.

Batman was pretty heavy, but thankfully I had once had to do the same thing for Mr. Hayley who was extremely over weight. I had had to help him walk for four days. I had had a backpack filled with water and food, but still, helping a huge man get from one place to another in Hong Kong when the huge guy is injured is not fun. Especially in full costume with a whole bunch of angry men after you.

I made myself focus on what I was doing. I asked, "Where do you need to go?"

He replied, "The batmobile is over that hill."

I said, "Alright, so now I have to get you over a hill. Any idea why you decided to park on the other side of a hill?"

Batman said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. That way no one could see me or the batmobile coming."

I said, "Yeah, next time find a hiding place that doesn't require you to climb in your daring escape."

Batman said, "Hopefully, there won't be a next time."

I raised an eyebrow. This was getting interesting. Batman had come to Rick's rescue when no one had known he was in trouble. By all reports, he was stocking Gotham's streets as per usual. I tried to keep a man on him, but he had slipped his tail and made it to the circus. How on earth had he known about Richard almost as soon as we had?

I couldn't think of a good excuse to leave him behind. He was important, and he should know what was actually going on in his own house. Then again, it would put him in danger unnecessarily. However, he seemed to be good enough at getting himself in danger that he could use some of the training I had. Besides, in my current state I probably couldn't even press the auto drive on the batmobile.

That hill was really steep. Rick had to have been really strong to support my weight and his. I guess it made sense with the exercise routine he had been putting himself through in the gym. I had a private one in the basement of Wayne Mansion. He used every muscle in his body that he could. I guess it was a way to distract him from what was going on in his life.

I said, "You know, last time I checked it was the hero that was supposed to save the innocent by stander."

Batman said, "Sorry about that."

I muttered, "Next time you decide to get shot, please do it when someone a little taller and stronger is nearby."

Batman chuckled. I suppose that was a sign that he was still alive. I needed to get him to safe medical attention as soon as possible.

I asked, "So once we get to the batmobile, where exactly are you planning on going?"

Batman replied, "Probably back to the batcave."

I said, "I take it the batcave is your version of the quantum of solace."

Batman said, "Yeah, but mine is a bit less public."

I asked more to keep the conversation going than anything else, "So, why on earth would you tell me about it?"

Batman said, "You're saving my life. I know what you've been through recently and yet instead of just running for it when you had the chance you chase to save my life."

I said, "Yeah well I guess saving you goes on to save thousands of other people. It might make up for me not telling my dad when I had the chance about what I had heard that day." It had been the worst part to go through in my head besides watching my mom falling. Thinking about the fact that I might have been able to save them was horrible.

Batman said, "It's not your fault."

I said, "Yeah, it kind of is. I overheard a guy threaten Mr. Hayley. If I had told my parents, then they might still be alive today."

We made it to the crest of the hill. I had hoped that going down would be easier, but keeping us both from rolling down the hill was harder than pulling us up it. It took all my concentration, so I couldn't think about how my parents' deaths had been my fault.

We got to the batmobile, and Rick lowered me into the driver's seat. I heard shouting. I said, "Get in, you're coming with me."

Rick looked utterly exhausted, but he hopped in the passenger seat readily enough.

I said getting kind of groggy, "Press the button labeled auto drive."

He did so and I watched as the country side started rolling past out the window. Rick looked about as close to passing out as I was. It would probably hard on him finding out before he got some sleep. Then again, finding out immediately after waking up might not be the best idea either. Still, he deserved to know. Maybe, if he wanted to and I managed to train him well enough, he could help me.


End file.
